MORE public and private schools in the country have been allowed to hold limited in-person classes, said the Department of Education (DepEd).
In a statement, the DepEd said Secretary Leonor Briones “authorized all regional directors to commence the progressive expansion phase of face-to-face classes for both public and private schools.”
The expansion phase is the second in a three-part plan to reopen basic education schools after almost two years of closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first phase, which had nearly 300 participating schools, took place last November to December.
The DepEd said only schools in areas under Alerts Level 1 and 2, and those who are compliant with the agency’s School Safety Assessment Tool (SSAT) can hold limited in-person classes.
The expansion phase allows students from other grade levels to attend in-person classes.
Under the pilot phase, only those from Kindergarten to Grade 3 and senior high school could attend face-to-face instruction.
Similar to the pilot phase, schools must secure permission from the local chief executive of their city or town, while students are asked to provide written consent from their parents.
Schools are also given flexibility on “contact time for teaching and learning, provided that meals are not taken in school except during managed recess.”
The DepEd reiterated that only teachers who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 can attend in-person classes.
As of Feb. 2, there are no in-person classes in basic education because schools are on a mid-year break until Feb. 5, the DepEd said.
Classes will resume on Feb. 7, but some school divisions may start on a later date due to the surge in COVID-19 cases and aftermath of Typhoon Odette, the agency said.
According to the DepEd, 6,686 schools have passed its SSAT, of which 6,586 are public schools and 100 are private schools.
“This list will progressively increase as the rest of the schools are able to address their respective SSAT gaps,” DepEd said.
The agency said the original 28 pilot schools in Metro Manila will resume in-person classes on Feb. 9, the same date that the “progressive expansion” starts in the region.
Twelve schools are ready to implement in-person classes in Batanes, which is under Alert Level 2. They may start on Feb. 7 once they secure approval from their local government units.
In Bulacan, 106 schools are prepared to resume classroom instruction on Feb. 21.
Fifty-seven schools in the provinces of Rizal and Cavite are set to participate in the expansion phase starting Feb. 14.
Sixteen schools in Eastern Visayas will also start in-person classes on Feb. 14 while the rest of the regions “are continuing their preparations for the expanded phase.”
